Moss growing on sick serissa trunk

[Paul W]

Hi Folks
I have a mini serissa bonsai that is looking a bit sick and have noticed that is has a lot of moss growing up the trunk and have heard this could be doing it,what is the safest way to remove it,rather than scrubbing and risk damaging the bark and making it sicker,is there anything I can treat it with to remove it safely.
Thanks
Paul

[Isitangus]

Just pick the majority off then a light "going over" with an old toothbrush should do the trick.

[shibui]

First, is it moss or lichen? I sincerely doubt that either will damage your tree and would look elsewhere for the problem. You have not given us a picture so it is difficult to make informed decision but location, watering, poor soil mix and starvation are all possibilities that come immediately to mind.

I spray with iron sulphate solution to temporarily kill moss on trunks. Iron sulphate is used to get rid of moss in lawns, etc and is safe for other plants in the concentration used for moss.
I find that a toothbrush does not get most of the moss. Maybe my moss is tougher? A brass brush from the hardware shop will remove moss and loose bark but does not seem to scratch the bark.

[Boics]

Ive heard vinegar is good for getting rid of moss?
A search on the forum for "moss and vinegar" should yield some results I'd say.

[kcpoole]

i use 50:50 water vinegar, spray it on the moss will kill it.

ken

[Paul W]

Thanks for your suggestions guys,will post a picture tomorrow so you can make a more informed comment,I think the mix is OK as it is pretty open gritty mix and most of my other trees seem alright but good comments on things to look for all the same .

[Paul W]

First, is it moss or lichen? I sincerely doubt that either will damage your tree and would look elsewhere for the problem. You have not given us a picture so it is difficult to make informed decision but location, watering, poor soil mix and starvation are all possibilities that come immediately to mind.

I spray with iron sulphate solution to temporarily kill moss on trunks. Iron sulphate is used to get rid of moss in lawns, etc and is safe for other plants in the concentration used for moss.
I find that a toothbrush does not get most of the moss. Maybe my moss is tougher? A brass brush from the hardware shop will remove moss and loose bark but does not seem to scratch the bark.

Would appreciate any other comments after loading these two pic's, I think it is moss ,so do I just treat it,or would it be safe to repot at this time of year in Sydney as the weather is not too cold.

[shibui]

Thanks for the photos Paul. I do agree with you - It appears to be moss. Not certain of serissa care as i have not grown it here but I believe you should be able to repot anything any time if you do not cut too many roots.

Still cannot believe that moss on the trunk is the cause of your plant problem. Lots of moss on the trunks of my trees of all sorts (except serissa) and no problems. More likely that is just something you can see so it gets the blame. Let us know if you find anything else or find out it is the moss causing problem and we will all have learnt something.

[JR_J]

Hi Paul,
I agree with Shibui - looking at the pics, it’s moss and it’s NOT the problem, but rather an indicator in my opinion - its not looking too good! We’ve been growing a few serissas over the years from very small to medium size, because we just love the different varieties and sizes.
Back to your problem, it looks to us that your plant is too wet and hence the growth of that type of moss - like a matt, there are many different kinds of moss and as Shibui said aren’t a problem on trunks or branches. You can use a wet toothbrush to clean it off rather than a dry one, which can be rough on the bark.
Three issues are most important in growing serissa - light, water and fast draining soil! I’ve attached a link of an article in our newsletter which I wrote based on the experiences we’ve made.
http://www.yarravalleybonsai.org.au/new ... 2%20R1.pdf

Immediate action - take your plant carefully out of the pot, check the roots and ONLY remove any rotten ones - don't disturb the root ball too much and slip-pot into a larger orchid growing plastic pot with a fast draining mix and hope for the best! No fertilising, but a bid of Seasol!!!

Hope that this is of some help?!
Regards,
Rudi

[Paul W]

Hi Shibui and Rudi, I think you blokes are right onto the problem,have just taken it out of the pot and it has not got many roots at all,have just planted it in a orchid pot with a Boon type mix so have gone from a fairly wet mix to a pretty gritty dry one and gave it a drink of seasol,will see how it goes.fc:
Gee Rudy where have you been all this time only 136 posts since 2009 all those 33 years of experience is needed by us new comers, keep up the good work guys.
Paul